Cataract Surgery Tied to Lower Risk of Car Crashes

Source: Reuters Health

Drivers with cataracts who get surgery to have them removed may lower their risk of getting into traffic crashes, a recent study suggests, according to a Reuters Health report.

Compared to their chances of a crash before surgery, drivers with cataracts were 9 percent less likely to be involved in collisions afterwards, the study found.

Doctors would need to treat 4,564 patients to avoid one crash a year, researchers report online June 28 in JAMA Opthalmology.

“Given the mortality and societal costs from traffic crashes, any reduction in these risks would be welcome,” said lead study author Dr. Matthew Schlenker of the Kensington Eye Institute in Toronto, Ontario.